Machine for the manufacture and printing of envelopes



I Sept. 1954 R. WINKLER ETAL 2,690,103

MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE AND PRINTING OF ENVELOPES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1950 INVENTORS RICHARD WINKLER AND MAX DUNNEBIER, DECEASED,

, ADMINSTRATOR BY KURT DUNNEBIER ZQ/KJ-O Sept. 28, 1954 R. WINKLER EI'AL 2,690,103

MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE AND PRINTING 0F ENVELOPES Filed Nov. 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS RICHARD WINKLER, AND MAX DUNNEBIER, DECEASED, BY KURT DUNNEBIER, ADMINISTRATOR Patented Sept. 28, 1954 2,690,13 ICE MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE AND PRINTING OF of Neuwied,

ENVELOPES ministrator, Neuwied, Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Berkley Machine Company, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application November 14, 1950, Serial No. 195,622

Claims priority, application Germany November 18, 1949 12 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for the manufacture and printing of open-end envelopes in one operation.

In the manufacture of open-end envelopes, folding machines have heretofore been employed in which each blank receives a longitudinal fold while being removed from the bottom of the pile. Such known machines have a number of advantages, th most important of which are the high efliciency and the reduced dimensions, these advantages being due to the fact that there is a single longitudinal folding of the blank simultaneously with the feeding from the pile, and to the fact that the length of the blank in the direction of feed is reduced by the folding and the blanks can thus be moved consecutively through the machine in close relation to each other so that useless idling of the machine is avoided. The operating cylinders of the machine equipped with the necessary tools for the required operation may be of small diameter but must be of sufficient dimensions to accommodate the largest blank to be handled by the machine.

In spite of the above-mentioned advantages, however, these so-called fold-feed machines, in which each blank is fed and folded at the same time, have certain disadvantages when the finished envelope is to be provided with printing on both outer sides if such printing is to be effected in a single operation together with the folding and sealing of the blanks in one and the sam machine, since special printing mechanism for each side is necessary and, in the case of multicolor printing, a plurality of printing mechanisms is necessary for each individual side and for such envelopes with printing on both sides, the advantages of the roller fold-feed machine cannot be fully utilized.

One object of the present invention is to solve this problem by feeding each blank from the bottom of the pile without folding and in accordance with this invention, the blank is fed in a direction parallel to the bottom and closure flap folds which are subsequently produced. The blank is then printed on one side so that a single operation is sufficient for the printing of both sides i. e. the back and front of the finished envelope.

A further object of this invention is to provide special means for carrying the mechanism for feeding and receiving the blanks from the feed pile, in combination with and independently of the mechanism for the printing and other treatment of the blanks, and to provide means for the adjustment of said special means at right angles to the direction of feed of the blanks.

Still another object of this invention is to provide, for the folding of the blank, after the printing operation, suction means for gripping the blank immediately behind the score for the first fold in combination with adjustable stop means for engaging the free leading edge of the blank to cause the introduction of the folded edge between rotating cylinders whereby such edge is caused to form the leading edge of the folded blank.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts of the machine as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of illustration or example, the necessary parts of a machine for the manufacturing and printing of fiat paper bags in one continuous operation.

On the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section through the part of the machine to which the invention relates.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line ab, through the part of the machine comprising the feed device, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing two superimposed flat-bag blanks of different sizes.

In the drawing, there are shown only the parts and details of the machine which are necessary for a detailed description of the invention, a showing of the entire operating means being omitted for the sake of clarity.

In the feed-pile 2 resting on the feed-table I, the blanks may be of the shape shown in Fig. 3. It should be noted, however, that the paste coatings It and is indicated in Fig. 3 for the longitudinal and bottom pastings, respectively, are applied during the operation and are located on the under side of the blank as seen from Fig. 3.

The edge 4 of Fig. 3 which represents the free longitudinal edge of the narrow side flap s is the leading edge of the blank and is the uppermost or right-hand edge in feed pile 2, Fig. 1. With the exception of a small lower layer all the blanks in the pile 2 are supported with the center of their said edges 4 against a socalled leafer 5 which is provided with teeth 6, Fig. 1, and the blanks slide down one after the other from this leafer in accordance with the removal of the blanks from the bottom of the pile. The front ends of the blanks extend 3 beyond the front, downwardly bent end of pile feed table I.

The lowermost blank in the feed pile 2 is grasped at its center, just behind its edge ll, by a swinging suction device 7 and the end of said blank which extends beyond table I is bent downwardly. The suction device i is carried by a hollow shaft 8 and swings from the position shown in full lines into the position shown in dotted lines so that the leading portion of the blank is bent downwardly to the position indicated by a dot-and-dash line.

The suction device l operates in timed relation to two continuously rotating feed segments it! arranged on a hollow shaft 9 on both sides of the suction device (see also Fig. 2), the timing being such that the leading edge of the blank can enter into the recessed peripheral parts of these segments upon being bent down by the suction device '5. The leading edges of tongues iii of the segments accordingly engage the bent down end of the blank and remove it from the suction device l and bend it down completely between themselves and the feed cylinder H, which also consists of two parts which are carried by a shaft i2. This shaft i2 is supported in two levers l3 and is pressed against the feed segments ill by springs which engage these levers. This motion is limited, however,

the

by two distance discs 14 and i5 which have the same diameter as the feed segments is and the parts of the feed cylinder ii and are carried on shafts e and i2, respectively. In order to permit the bending of the end of the blank downwards between the segments ill and the feed cylinder ii, a short part of the peripheral surface connected to the front end of the segment tongues it is somewhat recessed so that a small space exists between segments in and the feed cylinder ll when the pair of distance discs i i and t5 engage each other. Only at the end of these recesses where the full outer diameter of the feed segments it begins is the blank positively grasped between said segments and the feed cylinder parts H and pulled'out from the bottom of the feed pile. This withdrawal of the lowermost blank is facilitated by two swinging pile supports ll also arranged on both sides of the suction device '5 and carried on a shaft it. These pile supports swing in below the front end of the pile and lift said pile as soon as the front end of the lowermost blank has been bent down by the suction device 1. The supports ll remain in this position until the suction device starts to bend down the front end of the next blank, and it is then necessary for them to swing out again.

Each of the two feed segments is is provided with a suction device, and suction channels 58 extend from the hollow segment shaft 9 and open directly behind the recessed segment tongues ill in the segment peripheral surfaces, and, through suitable well known control devices for the suction air, each blank end bent down and grasped between segments l0 and feed cylinder parts ii, is simultaneously also grasped by the suction openings l8 thus insuring a dependable feeding of the blank until it is taken over by a printing cylinder l9 even although it may not be so taken over until after it is released by the feed segments l0 and the feed cylinder parts H. The printing cylinder it has a suction channel 2c and suction openings 2i extending from said channel to the surface of the cylinder. Under the action of suitable control deall) vices for the suction air, the cylinder is grasps the blank delivered thereto by the feed segments Hi. The cylinder l9 grasps each blank close to the leading edge t thereof and conveys the blank successively between itself and the two plate cylinders P and P of the two aniline printing mechanisms D and D shown by way of example in Fig. l of the drawings. In this manner the still unfolded blank can be printed in two colors .1 one side over its full exent so that finished envelope made from the blank by successive foldings and pasting operations has a two-color impression on both sides thereof.

The printing cylinder it conveys the printed blank to several feed discs 22 which are adjustable on a hollow shaft 23 in accordance with the size of the blank being handled. They take over the blank, by means of their suction passages 24 extending from the hollow shaft to their peripheries but contact is limited in order to avoid smearing of the printing which is still wet, and the feed discs 22 thus convey the blank to the following cylinder 25.

The cylinder 25 consists of a 26, having a suction channel cor with a suction opening 28 at its outer r and of a larger segment is which consti greater part of the periphery of the cylinder latter segment '29 is segment subdivided into i divstrips extending over a part of its perip located in corresponding recesses of the or. face of the narrow segment The so 29 can therefore be shifted angularly spect to the smaller segment by rotat the shaft 38 common to both segments. segment 29 carries a scoring member the entire cylinder 25 comprising pa serves, in cooperation with a countvlcyl 32, for the scoring of the first longitudinal J (Fig. 3) which extends between the front 'f A of the envelope which is to later inscription, and the wide side or back iiap By adjustment of the large segment the tance, measured on the periphery of the der, between the suction openings and fold scoring member 35, can thus be and adjusted according to the size of being handled. Inasmuch as, after the me has once been adjusted, all blanks of r size are grasped by the suction devices of the individual cylinders closely behind the leading edge l, tive assurance, after the corresponding ment of large segment 2%, that the sco the first longitudinal fold shall be ap the same correct position for all blanks tl" ..v same size.

The blanks are thus fed over the path above and as shown in Fig. 1 by dot lines, from the feed pile fl to their p. tween cylinder 25 and its ccuntercy unfolded condition with the edge l leacl periphery or diameter of the feed se of cylinders Ill and 25, of feed A... the plate cylinders P and P are thcref pendent on the full dimension of the en its leading edge It to its opposite tia g for the largest blank to be handled by the chine. For the further course of the bra after leaving the scoring cylinder countercylinder 3?. the length of travel for blank is considerably reduced since the ing pair of cylinders 33, 3d effect the fintudinal folding along the fold score line j pro-- duced by the cylinder 25. The cylinder 33 and all following cylinders accordingly require only a diameter or circumference which is sufficient by one revolution to convey a length of paper which corresponds to the distance between the front edge 4 and the first longitudinal fold at the line i measured on the largest blank size.

The cylinder 33 has a suction channel 35 in communication with openings 35 in the periphery of the cylinder. By means of said openings, the cylinder grips the blank directly behind the score line f of the first longitudinal fold. Further rotation of the cylinder 33 causes the blank to bend between such cylinder and its countercylinder 34*, along the score line 1 and the blank then advances with its fold forming the leading edge. Since the blanks may consist of heavier paper which always remains more or less stiff at the score line, stops 3? are provided to ensure the correct passage of the fold scoring 7 between the two cylinders 33 and 3d. These stops iii are adjustably mounted in arcuate guides 38 which extend over a part of the periphery of the cylin- The leading edge 8 of the blank fed by the cylinder 25 enters the guides 38 and a rearward motion of the edge 4 starts upon the blank being gripped by suction by cylinder it behind the score line In order that, in case of sured.

The folded blank emerging from the cylinders 33, 34 is first straightened by the next pair of cylinders 3'9, id. For this purpose, the cylinder 39 is provided with a peripheral recess ill extending in a longitudinal direction, and the cylinder ill is provided with a longitudinal rail 42 extending from its periphery and which rail moves into 43, 4:3, cylinder 43 of which is provided with a longitudinal scoring member 46 and two circular scoring members 45 by which the folded blank which passes between these cylinders receives the scoring f for the fold of the narrow side flap s and the two scorings f" and f for the folds of the bottom and closure flaps B and V, respectively (Fig. 3). The work-piece is now fed by means of rolls ll, 48 to a device K which applies the adhesive coating indicated by k in Fig. 3 for the longitudinal sealing on the narrow side flap s. The cylinder 50 which rotates 6 in the adhesive container 49 feeds the adhesive to a transfer cylinder 5! from which it is received with two longitudinal adhesive applicators 53 which apply the adhesive to the work-pieces, the cylinder 52 making only one revolution for every two work-pieces.

From device K the work-piece passes along the dot-and-dash line between suitable guides, not shown in the drawing, to a turning station W consisting of an oblique plane 54 over which the work-piece slides until its leading fold comes into contact with adjustable stops 55. Top rails 56 serve to hold down the wide side flap S which has already been folded over. The stops 55 actuated by a lever pair 5'! then move the work-piece on the oblique plane 54 a short distance upwardly, so that its narrow side flap 8 can be gripped by the upper cylinder 56 or the pair of cylinders 58, 59, the said cylinder 58 being provided with suction means comprising suction openings 60. In this Way the cylinders 58, 59 convey the work-piece, while forming the second longitudinal fold f, the work-piece being carried between these cylinders, and the sealing of the flaps s and S is thus effected and the leading edge of the work-piece is now the fold 7'.

Upon leaving cylinders 58, 59 the work-piece is passed in a horizontal direction between a plurality of cylinders 6i and their counterrolls where a device K applies the adhesive k for the bottom sealing, and folding rails 63' and fold-- ing recesses 64 effect the folding of the bottom and enclosure flaps V and B, respectively, on their score lines 1" and f', whereupon these folds and flaps are pressed down by cylinders and counterrolls. As is usual in such envelopes, the iiap B may remain unfolded. The envelopes produced in this manner then pass, stacked closely to-- gether, into a delivery pile, but this part of the machine is not shown in the drawing as its con struction and manner of operation are well known in the art.

Fig. 3 shows two superimposed blanks for envelopes to be produced in the machine, these being the largest and smallest envelope sizes for the production of which the machine can be used, and it can be seen from this figure by what amount a: the central line of the maximum and minimum sizes are displaced when the folding line 7 of the bottom flap B of the two blanks coincide with each other. This is of importance for the following reasons:

On the horizontal path determined by cylinders ti and their counterrolls 62, the work-pieces are conducted in such a manner that the folding lines or score lines 1 of the bottom flaps B follow the same line for all sizes, with the advantage that for a change in size both the folding tool for the bottom folding, for instance the folding rails 63 and the folding recesses M as well as the device K for the application of the adhesive coating is of the bottom flap need not be shifted.

Such an identical conveying of all blank sizes within their aforementioned horizontal path naturally requires that the blanks are also so arranged in the feed pile 2 that the bottom fold lines 1" of all blank sizes lie at the same place. It is also essential for the dependable opera i. of the full feed device above described that the various members act at the center of all blank sizes and, when said members are present in pairs, they must act symmetrically to the central line for all sizes. All of these individual members would therefore have to be adjusted to the position of the central line of the new blank upon each change of size if the position of the central line of the blank were changed due to the fact that the position of the bottom folding line I has remained the same. In accordance with the example shown in the drawing, the parts involved in such adjustment would be the loafer the suction device 1, the feed segments ill, the feed cylinder parts ii and the swinging pile supports l1, and the extent of the greatest shifting of these individual members would be the measurement a: of Fig. 3. In order to obviate the necessity of such a cumbersome and time-consuming individual adjustment of many parts upon each change in size, however, the following arrangement has been employed.

All of the aforementioned parts belonging directly to the full feed device and the position of which, with respect to the transverse extent of the machine, depends on the central line of the blank size which is to be handled, or their shafts or other carriers are supported in a special auxiliary bracket pair 65 which are connected with each other by cross-members es and are adjustable in the direction of the transverse ex tent of the machine with respect to the main brackets -51, which latter serve as support for all other cylinders, and other parts not directly belonging to the feed device. The auxiliary brackets 5e rest in a displaceable manner on cross-members 63, which cross-members are fastened to the main brackets El.

For the necessary adjustment of the auxiliary brackets 65 with respect to main brackets er upon a change of blank size, a threaded spindle Ell having an adjusting wheel 69 is employed. This spindle If! is adapted to turn on a journal pin H which is screwed to one of the main crackets a l. An adjusting ring I2 secures the threaded spindle 73 against longitudinal displacement on pin ii, and on this threaded spindle it an internal thread hub of arm 13 engages. The arm 53 is secured to the auxiliary bracket 65 at one side of the machine, so that rotation of the spindle it by its hand wheel 69 displaces the arm upon the spindle lo and thus shifts the auxiliary brackets in either direction.

though the drawings and the above speciflcation disclose the best mode in which we have contemplated embodying this invention, we desire to in no way limited to the details of closure for, in the further practical apmany changes in form construction may be made as circumstances require or experience suggests without departing from the spirit of the invention within the scope oi the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A machine for the manufacture and printing open-end envelopes in one continuous opera- K comprising means for accommodating the velope blanks in a feed pile, feed mechanism the complete withdrawal of each lowermost from said pile, rotary means for receiving e blanks from said feed mechanism and for .veying the withdrawn blanks successively with closure and bottom flaps at the opposite 1 to edges of the blanks and parallel to the direc no of feed, at least one rotary printing mechasm for receiving the blanks from said rotary '13 and for printing one surface of the una blank to form the outer back and front surfaces of the finished envelopes, means for then scoring the printed blank on a line at right angles to its direction of feed, means for then folding the blank upon the said score line, means for feeding the folded blank with its folded edge lead ing, means for scoring, gurnrning and folding the side and bottom flaps of the envelope, supports for said feed mechanism, means for mounting the other parts of the machine, and means for the transverse displacement of said supports with re spect to the mounting of the other parts of the machine and to said feed pile, to adjust the machine to different blank sizes.

2. A machine for the manufacture and printing of open-end envelopes in one continuous operation, comprising means for accommodating the envelope blanks in a feed pile, feed mechanism for the complete withdrawal of each lowermost blank from said pile, rotary means for receiving and conveying the withdrawn blanks successively with their closure and bottom flaps the opposite side edges of the blanks and allel to the direction of feed, at least one ro y printing mechanism for printing one surface of the unfolded blank to form the outer back and front surfaces of the finished envelope, means "or then scoring the printed blank on a line at r angles to its direction of feed, means for f the blank upon the said score line, mea scoring, gumming and folding the side and so; tom flaps of the envelope, main supporting bra ets for said feed pile and for said printing envelope making means, auxiliary brackets use support of said feed mechanism, and for the displacement of said auxiliary bracket right angles to the direction of feed of the b I and envelopes to adjust the machine to different blank sizes.

3. A machine according to claim 1, ccmpr' a pair of cylinders for straightening the after the folding thereof upon the said score 4. A machine according to claim 1, w said gumming means comprises rotary the application of gum to the blank in strip tending transversely of the direction of fee 5. A machine according to claim 1, con means for folding the closure flap at the site side edge of the blank from the bottom 6. A machine according to claim 1, u said scoring and folding means comprises r o for scoring the blank for a second fold pr to the said score line, and cylinders for fol. the blank along the second score line.

7. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said second scoring means comprises means for scoring the blank for a second fold parall l to the said score line at right angles to the 8. A machine according to claim 1, wher the means for folding the blank comprises adjustable stop means for reversing the direction of feed of the folded blank.

9. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for folding the blanks comprises cylinders and stop means for engaging the fold in the blank.

10. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for gumming the side and bottom. of the envelopes comprises rotary means for z plying the gum in strips extending parallel to the direction of feed.

11. A machine according the supports for the said means for the i drawal of the blanks from the feed pile com brackets and screw-and-nut adjusting m whereby the said supports are displaced with respect to the said pile.

g to claim 1, wherein Number ging th ,879,990

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Dale et a1 Apr. 14, 1896 Getten Jan. 12, 1897 Winkler et a1 Nov. 15, 1921 Oles Sept. 27, 1932 Winkler et a1 Oct. 25, 1932 Cowan et a1. Nov. 3, 1936 Winkler et a1 Apr. 20, 1937 Smithe June 8, 1937 Winkler et a1 Oct. 4, 1938 Becker Jan. 12, 1943 

